Emily M. Keeler, E.M. Keeler, Emily Keeler

Hi.

This little slice of the internet is, for the most part, my reading journal. I decided to read 50 books in 2011, and this blog will reflect what I think of each work, and probably how I feel about the exhilaration of reading. That said, I’m not a reviewer: I’m a reader. I’m in this purely for love.

The tentative plan is to post my thoughts every Monday morning, because weekends somehow seem to soften the blow of deadlines. I’ll also throw up a bonus post every now and then, book related or otherwise, we’ll see.

I made the resolution to read 50 books because—well, for a lot of reasons, actually. Like how when I was a kid I really and truly felt that a great book was an awesome friend, and with a book in my hand I was always keeping great company. Or because I was lonely in 2010.  Not for people, but for fiction: For the worlds within words and for a place within them. Because I think that Jonathan Letham has a better view into how people think and work than Mark Burnett. Like how I think art, especially literature, always sustains the hunger for more, more beauty, more psychology, more connection, more time and more history.

Here we go.

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2012 UPDATE:

While Bookside Table remains a space for me to describe my reading experiences, this year I’ve turned my eye toward the short story. In fact, I plan to read 100 of them. I’m also feeling a little more sure of myself, and my taste, thanks in no small part to the many of you who read along with me last year. While I’m still in it for the love, this year I plan to face facts: loving literature and having a sense of taste both imply the embracing of one’s own critical capacity. So let’s just hope that I don’t let you down.

Alright. Round two.

Here we go. Again.

 

PS: If you wanted to learn a little more about my work outside of this project, you can find that sort of thing, like most things these days, on Tumblr.